Lions 2009: Lean, hungry Lions must seize high ground against South Africa

The Lions flew to Johannesburg on Friday night confident that they can deal
with the altitude factor but less certain that they can deal with the
Highveld factor

Crucial: Simon Shaw is the cement that was needed to repair the fault linePhoto: PA

By Mick Cleary

8:48PM BST 26 Jun 2009

The Springboks are in their spiritual heartland and, as they push for a cherished series victory, the Lions are all too aware that they will have to go well beyond anything they have so far achieved on this trip if they are to take the contest into the final week. South Africans do not cede easily, especially in these parts. Only remarkable men will prevail, only something special will suffice.

The Lions head off on safari tomorrow no matter what happens at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon. They could get themselves in the right mood for a spot of game-stalking by snaring a few Springboks before they go. And for that to happen they will need to bring all manner of tricks to their quest. They will need to be brutal and ferocious, as if they were hunters of old, for they were simply too placid and deferential last week in Durban. Too often they turned the other cheek. In short, they have to get nasty. It looks as if they might.

"South Africans have a bullying mentality and you've got to get in their faces," forwards coach Warren Gatland said.

If the Lions get that right, then the Test series will still be alive by the time they depart for their 24-hour jaunt. If they don't, and remain passive in scrum and maul, then their R and R retreat will be a forlorn experience.

There's little doubt that the three changes made in the pack should give them more ballast. Their scrum will be more stable, their maul more resistant. But there is a flip side. Mathew Rees's throwing in to the line-out is not the most reliable. He now has to show that he can cope with the pressure of a starting slot. A lot rests on Tom Croft, fast becoming one of the stars of the tour.

The Lions need possession to thrive. That mantra used to hold for any side. No longer. Some teams prefer to use offensive defence to make their mark, to squeeze hard and live off opposition mistakes. These Lions, though, are set on a ball-in-hand approach. They believe that they can run the legs off the Springboks. The South African front five are vulnerable to high-tempo, sustained rugby, one that forces them to go from touchline to touchline. The 'Boks were blowing hard in the second-half at King's Park, able to breast the tape first only before the Lions had allowed them a 19-point leeway through their own profligacy and indiscretions.

Sixty per cent of the ball-in-play activity took place in the last quarter. That means that the Lions upped the pace in the last 20 minutes, partly because they had no other option but to go for broke, but primarily because that was always their intention. They will do the same this afternoon. Never mind the Lions feeling the effects of coming up from sea level, they are utterly confident that it will be their opponents who have the scorched lungs and muzzy heads in the closing stages.

So much for the theory. Have the Lions got the personnel to make it happen ? Their back line was assured and devilish in Durban, their attack spearheaded by the thrusts and feints of the midfield combination. Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll have been on the same wavelength since first they met. Some felt that being passed over for the captaincy might diminish O'Driscoll. It's had the opposite effect. He's more relaxed and so more productive. If they click again, then anything is possible, particularly with the defensively-frail Adi Jacobs line up against them. It's no surprise that the 'Boks have brought back Schalk Burger to shore up midfield even though the flanker is unlikely to be match fit after a calf injury.

The Lions half-backs, though, must deliver quick, clean ball. The back-three has been reconfigured into an all-Irish arrangement. Rob Kearney looked bright last week. More of the same would serve the Lions well. Wing Luke Fitzgerald has to do what Ugo Monye didn't manage to do, and that is get the ball down over the try-line. If the Lions have as many scoring opportunities as they did last week, and Fitzgerald and his pals execute with more aplomb, they will win.

But back to the beasts of burden. For it is they who will set the tone, they who will shape the game. So much rests on Simon Shaw. He is the cement that was needed to repair the fault line. If that holds, and if all else falls into place, improbable dreams have a rightful place in anyone's thoughts.